Drupal v/s Joomla

Submitted by Sunil_ebizon
on Wed, 10/28/2009 - 06:02

Drupal v/s Joomla

Taking it forward from my previous post, the seal of approval from the Obama administration on the white house website changing to Drupal has proven yet again and for the umpteenth time that Content Management System (CMS) based on open-source platform is here to stay.

Today I will be profiling two of the most talked about CMS available at the disposal of web developers: Drupal and Joomla.

The names sure are out of the box and appealing to everyone but how do they stand when stacked against each other is what we will try and figure out with this e-mail. Having used both the interfaces I will try and make a comparison between the two based on the following key parameters:

  • Flexibility – Drupal definitely beats Joomla hands down when it comes to flexibility. Though Joomla offers great website building features, however the Views, Panels and CCK give Drupal that cutting edge over Joomla.
  • Drupal Community – The community of Drupal code developers is a very strong community and largely responsible behind the enormous success of Drupal.
  • Learning Curve – This is one area in which Drupal perhaps falls behind Joomla. It is often been a complaint of sorts against Drupal that learning it can be a long exercise but in my view once the initial phase is over working around Drupal becomes much more easier and an enjoyable experience.
  • Modules v/s Extensions – The Drupal library of modules (add-ons) is far robust and larger in comparison to the extensions provided by Joomla.

The above key points of comparisons (though limited to few only) are a clear indicator that it is the end-user who is to benefit from this competitive set-up where each of these free CMS compete with one another and bring the best out in the open. Though I must acknowledge that Joomla is a great product, however it looses the game in comparison to the excellent functionalities on offer by Drupal. I have become a staunch supporter of Drupal and would wait to see what Joomla can do change my inclination towards Drupal.